Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS October 2014 Commercial Fishing News
Omnibus Amendment to Simplify Vessel Baselines
MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS
a Northeast Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) Workgroup.
In August and September 2013, the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils initiated an omnibus amendment to simplify vessel baseline reg- ulations based on the recommendations of
Fishing vessel baseline specifi cations and upgrade restrictions have been used as a tool in Northeast limited access fi sheries to promote conservation of fi sh species by limiting potential increases in the harvest capacity of the fl eet. To reduce fi shing mortality and fi shing
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effort, the councils use various effort con- trols, such as limits on the amount of time (numbers of days-at-sea (DAS)) that can be fi shed, trip limits, state quota allocations, and moratoria on issuance of new permits. Vessel upgrade restrictions were in- tended to control the potential increase in effort and catch that could occur if an individual vessel increased in size or horse- power making possible to catch more fi sh for a given amount of effort. However, since the time baseline speci-
fi cations were adopted, many fi sheries have implemented other effort controls and annu- al catch limits (ACLs), which restrict effort and put a cap on total harvest. Replacement and upgrade restrictions also can be a costly and time-consuming administrative burden for both the industry and NOAA Fisheries. The councils, with the assistance
of NOAA Fisheries, developed the draft Omnibus Amendment to Simplify Vessel Baselines. This amendment eliminates certain baseline restrictions, reducing some administrative and other costs, while main- taining the benefi ts to conservation and fl eet diversity that baseline measures provide. This action would apply to all limited
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access fi sheries within the Councils’ juris- diction including: Atlantic Herring; Atlantic Sea Scallop; Deep-Sea Red Crab; Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfi sh; Monkfi sh; Northeast
Multispecies; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass; Surfclam and Ocean Qua- hog; and Tilefi sh.
The range of alternatives in this draft omnibus amendment has been approved by both councils. The document is now avail- able for public review and comment. Fol- lowing this comment period, NOAA Fish- eries will fi nalize the Omnibus Amendment document for fi nal review and consideration by the Councils. Once both Councils ap- prove the fi nal amendment, NOAA Fisheries will conduct proposed and fi nal rulemaking to implement the provisions contained in this amendment.
ASMFC River Herring Ageing Workshop Report Establishes Standards for Consistent Coastwide Ageing Techniques
ARLINGTON, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is pleased to announce the release of the River Herring Ageing Workshop Report. The report is the 8th in a series of publications focusing on improving consistency among state and federal laboratories on how fi sh age samples are collected, processed, and read. Fish age and growth information are key components of stock assessments. Age and length data are the basis for determining how fast a fi sh grows, how long it lives, when it matures, and how big it is at each age. This information is used by fi shery scientists and managers to develop harvest strategies that allow the population to successfully replace what was removed by fi shing and natural causes. Age data also provide important information on the age structure of a fi sh population and whether that age structure is changing over time.
With the growing emphasis on river herring monitoring and management ac- tivities along the Atlantic coast, there has been an increased need to evaluate the consistency of age estimates provided by each agency for future stock assessments. At the workshop, biologists from Maine through North Carolina met to compare methodologies of preparing age structures (scales and otoliths) and the criteria used to estimate ages. The goal of the workshop was to improve the quality and standardization of ageing practices to support precise age estimates among laboratories.
Prior to the workshop, biologists con- ducted a blind study where they exchanged blueback herring and alewife otoliths and scales and provided age estimates using their own ageing protocols. When the estimates were compared at the workshop, it was found that biologists which followed the same protocols had similar estimates, while biologists that followed different protocols or were simply new to ageing samples often had vastly different estimates. Participants discussed potential reasons for the differ- ences in observed ages and developed rec- ommendations to improve ageing practices, the most important being the adoption of a coastwide protocol to serve as the standard for ageing river herring. Exchange results, recommendations, and the ageing protocol are included in the workshop report, which can be found at
http://www.asmfc.org/ files/Science/RiverHerringAgeingWork- shopReport_August2014.pdf. For more information about fi sh ageing, visit the Commission website at
http://www.asmfc. org/fi sheries-science/research or contact Jeff Kipp, Stock Assessment Scientist, at 703.842.0740.
The Atlantic herring fi sheries will be closed in the following areas due to inshore spawning events or landings reaching the total allowable catch quota. Area 3 (Georges Bank) TAC Closure The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) projected the Atlantic herring fi sh- ery has exceeded 92% of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) allocated to Management Area 3 (Georges Bank) for the 2014 fi shing year (January-December). The directed fi shery will close effective 0001 hours on Septem- ber 23 through 2400 hours on December 31, 2014. During the closure, vessels issued federal permits for Atlantic herring may not retain or land more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring from Area 3 per trip or calendar day. Federally permitted dealers may not receive more than 2,000 pounds of herring per vessel harvested from Area 3, per trip or calendar day, from 0001 hours, September 23, 2014, through December 31, 2014, unless it is from a trip landed by a vessel that entered port before 0001 hour on September 23, 2014. See the attached NMFS press release for details. Spawning Area Closures The spawning areas of Western Maine and Massachusetts-New Hampshire will be closed to protect spawning Atlantic herring. The Western Maine area will be closed effective 12:01 AM on September 24 through 11:59 PM on October 21, 2014 (a period of four weeks). The Massachu- setts-New Hampshire area will be closed effective 12:01 AM September 21 through 11:59 PM on October 18 and through 11:59 PM of October 19 in New Hampshire only (see attached for state notices and closed area coordinates and chart). Both spawning closures are based on commercial sampling of fi sh in spawning condition. The Eastern Maine spawning area has reopened. Catch sampling will continue in the spawning areas when the fi shery reopens.
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